New Member, Puget Sound Area

[fuster]

Hello:

I do not own an Airstream. I am interested in buying a pre-owned Airstream from the 90s, probably (more on that in another post when I ask questions). I joined this forum to gain knowledge about models, years, etc. that may be of interest to me when I am ready to buy. I need information before I buy. I was referred here from an RV forum where I asked questions about buying a trailer.

My interest is as indicated, in a trailer. Have NEVER owned one, so I am real unknowledgable. That probably invites every opinionated person to push their views. Just me and my wife. We both work full time, so the trailer will be for maybe 2-3 trips per year, probably 2-3 weeks per trip, some additional trips that are much shorter. Rest of time, trailer will sit in our driveway.

We tend to buy high quality and keep it a long time, rebuild or restore if needed in some cases. My truck, for instance, just got done being restored by a customs car shop in my home town. This is a place that if you have to ask how much it will cost, you can't afford to get it done here. Took all sheet metal off except the cab, even the inner fender wells on the front and the front and rear windows, doors, and the entire interior (including reupholstering the headliner and sun visors and putting in Dynamat insulation all over), bumpers, etc. It is a '94 Chevy K2500 4x4 ext. cab, and I spent about $15,000.00 to do all the soda blasting, minor body work, disassembly, paint and reassembly. It looks brand new. Also had some serious modifications and custom dyno tuning done to the engine (454) by a high end performance shop (they design and build their own proprietary engines for exotic cars), for about $6000.00. But it still runs on regular gas and will tow just about anything smaller than the Empire State Building. The truck is maybe worth half that, so you can see what I mean about keeping things.

Not sure about a lot of things like floor plans, length, etc. that we should consider, other than I don't want a mondo super gonzo trailer, I want it easy to tow.

Any help to navigate to the correct threads, sub forums, is appreciated.

Thanks.

Mike

[Blue Pearl]

Welcome, You'll spend many nights checking out all the threads. Just go to the age of the trailer you want and start reading, than go up a year and down a year and keep reading. You will learn a lot and will be able to make the right purchase at the used trailer factory. You will end up buying the first one you see because you love it. I know, we did. Have fun and we may see you down the road.

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

You've found the right place for all things Airstream. You might start off by taking a look a the the classified section here on the forums. This will help familiarize you with the different models and configurations. There are also quite a few Airstreams listed in Ebay and rvtrader.com.

Good luck in you search.

[fuster]

Thanks, I'll take any advice I can get to research this.

[Silver Otter]

Welcome and everyone will help you in here. Linda and I did the same thing you are doing to find our dream AS and to learn about owning, towing, maintaining, etc. These people are the greatest. We are still newbies and still learning.

[Janet H]

HI and welcome. I recommend that you go to some rallies in your area as a tourist - just show up for a few hours after 3 PM. Talk to folks at the rally, most will be happy to show your their trailers and may be able to help you decide on floor plans, etc. Sometimes your opinion about what you need in a trailer changes with a little time spent in one. Check the rally calendar or the bottom of the portal page for listings or events in the PNW.

[Aage]

Howdy and welcome to airforums.com, fuster! With time, I hope you will find that we are in general a pretty friendly bunch. There is possible more information on Airstream trailers here than anywhere else, with the possible exception of the factory in Jackson Center, OH.

When you get serious about going out to inspect used trailers, you might find the Inspection list in the Our Community sub-forum useful. It lists every part of sub-system in an AS (Airstream) trailer that con wear out, and could help you organize your understanding of a particular unit, and help calculate what any necessary repairs will total.

As for size, many people here on the forum will tell you that what they finally decided to get wasn't what they started out looking for. Like you, at the beginning, they often feel that a larger trailer is more difficult to handle on the road, or even parking. I can witness that, at least when talking about AS trailers, that just isn't true. An AS, even a large one, is a joy to tow; that's one of their advantages.

You are probably aware that there is an AS dealer quite near to you, AIRSTREAM ADVENTURES NW - (COVINGTON, WA). I would encourage you and your wife to spend some time there just sitting in various sizes of trailers to start to get a feel for what they are like.

That dealer will likely be a good potential source of used trailers for you to see as well, and will most certainly be where you would naturally want to take your trailer for service, whether you buy it there or not. So your trip(s) to visit them can also serve as a means to evaluate whether or not you find them worthy of your business.

An AS dealer has to be patient, I figure; it's just NOT the type of product folks would buy in one trip there. I say this because some people feel guilty taking a long, relaxed look at them, particularly the insides, and I think that this is a mistake. You are going to spend a significant amount of money, and you owe it to yourself to be sure you get something that you will be comfortable in for the longer term.

In any event, don't be shy to ask us anything that crosses your mind. You will also be well served by the search feature here, it's quite flexible, and once you get used to it, you'll be surprised how much you can find.

Oh, and don't forget to take a peek at the Classifieds section we have, it is quite active! You log in there using the same user name and password as here.

All the best,

Aage